James Harden showed off his unparalleled scoring ability in Friday night's 76ers debut, nailing five of his seven 3-point attempts while getting to the free throw line nine times in a blowout win over the Timberwolves.
But his star teammate couldn't help but rave about Harden's passing and ball movement after the two combined to score 61 points in a debut that felt like a best case scenario.
"You should have seen my face every single time, especially in the fourth," Joel Embiid said after the final horn sounded on a 133-102 win. "The first three quarters, making plays for all of us. That was probably the most wide-open I've ever been in my career. I had a lot of easy baskets."
Harden, a game-high +35 on the night, dished out 12 assists, and helped Embiid get to the line 13 times while scoring a game-high 34 points. Together, the new dynamic duo shot 17-for-30 from the floor, and of Harden's 12 assists, five went to Embiid.
"I used to have to work for everything," Embiid said. "But in the fourth quarter, the shot-making ability, the shot creation, you should have seen my face. I was just like 'huh?' I've never had this. Nothing close to it. Hopefully that continues."
Embiid believes it will not only continue, but improve. A lot.
"We didn't even play our best," Embiid said. "I think we can play way better."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
